Oswego, NY -- The number of reported crimes on the State University College at Oswego campus declined significantly between 2009 and 2010.

But Campus Police Chief Cynthia Adam said the primary reason for the decrease was a change in the definition of burglaries.

Campus Police statistics from the 2010 annual Security and Fire Report shows 28 on-campus crimes reported in 2010, compared to 49 in 2009. The big difference is a huge decrease in burglaries a reduction from 46 in 2009 to 19 in 2010.

Adam said in previous years, a theft from a dorm room when there wasnt forced entry still was called a burglary. For instance, if a person was invited to a students room and took something when he or she left, that was considered a burglary.

Now the definition of burglary follows the penal code, which says there should be signs of forced entry.

So the old definition inflated those burglary numbers for previous years, she said.

The statistics also show a few reported crimes in 2010 that did not occur in 2009.

For example, one robbery and two aggravated assaults were reported in 2010, and none were reported in 2009. Also, the number of forcible sex offenses was up, from one in 2009 to five in 2010.

The Security and Fire Report also shows a slight reduction in hate-bias offenses. In 2009, there was one intimidation charge due to sexual orientation reported. None were reported in 2010.

There was one intimidation charge due to religion reported in 2010.

Most of the hate-bias offenses were for destruction or damage to property. In 2009, there were two due to race, three due to religion and one due to sexual orientation. In 2010, there were two due to race and three due to religion.

All of the hate-bias crimes reported occurred on campus and in residence halls, the report states.

Adam said the hate-bias reports were related to notes or graffiti. "We are seeing an upswing in these types of behavior because students often say or do things as a joke, not realizing the hurtful nature," she said.

She said the college offers training for students, so they will know what type of behavior can be hurtful to others.

"They must learn they are held to their language, they are judged by their language," she said.

No crimes were reported at the colleges off-campus sites in 2010 or 2009. Those sites include Oswego's Metro Center in downtown Syracuse, the Phoenix Center in Schroeppel and Jefferson Community College in Watertown.